Ever come across one of those people who are just miserable to be around? No matter what is happening, they always have something negative to say. They’re always tearing people down and are never encouraging.

It was one year ago today, as I write this, that I hit the publish button for the first time on my blog. The fear I had of sharing my thoughts and experiences was palpable.

My fear was how people would respond to what I was sharing. As you probably know, when we start our bariatric journey our confidence level is pretty low. For me, it was one of the lowest points of my life. I wasn’t sure how I would handle someone being rude or leaving a nasty comment on something I wrote.

So here it is, one year to the day and someone left a rude comment on my Facebook page. Actually, this year brought a few nasty comments. All from women on Facebook who also had bariatric surgery.

I’ve seen it happen in Facebook groups too. They’re the type of people I described in the first paragraph. Instead of being encouraging and supportive to their fellow bariatric peeps, they tear people down without provocation. Somehow it seems crueler coming from someone who shares a similar experience. They should know better.

So, I’m here to tell them that old wise adage, “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything.” If you don’t like what you are reading, move along and find something you do like. There is no need to tear others down because you are in a bad mood.

It’s almost like some people are just waiting for others to fail. And, when you don’t fail they get angry.

When I met my goal weight of losing 224 pounds, I posted about it on Facebook. That week had the biggest drop in page “Likes” I ever had. People actually took the time to “un-Like” my page when I shared good news about my journey.

I have learned to feel sorry for miserable people. They must be unhappy to behave the way they do. But, while I know that they are not happy, I know there is nothing I can do to help them. And, I will not allow them in my environment, online or in-person. You shouldn’t either.

On the opposite side of these unhappy people, I have met some truly amazing women. They are women who encourage each other and celebrate victories together. They want others to be happy, healthy and successful on their journeys. They are the women who make me proud to be part of this wonderful community. You Ladies, Rock!!

So the moral of this story is to push past your fears and do the thing you are afraid to do. Because, even though what I feared did happen, I’m still standing and will keep moving forward. Today I’m not afraid of the lurking troll. I have faced them and lived to tell the tale. I’m stronger now than I was a year ago. They helped build my confidence to the highest level of my life. If they knew that, I bet it would make them even more miserable.

Share This Post With Your Friends

Related

Hi, I’m Beth Bianca. I weighed 394 pounds at the start of my bariatric journey and have lost 226 pounds. I’ve learned that our bariatric surgery is much more than what we eat.
I believe that our surgery is a “tool” and that long-term success is accomplished through dedicated behavior changes.
I'm the author of Mindset Breakthrough: Achieve Weight-Loss Surgery Success, a contributor to the Huffington Post and founder of Ladies In Weighting Coaching.